Cares Route from Poncebos

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To start the Cares Route from Poncebos, first you would have to get to Arenas de Cabrales then continue along the road to the village of Puente Poncebos. Once in Poncebos, head towards the Bulnes Funicular along the path on the left, not along the path that crosses the bridge. Once you have reached the funicular there is little road left to get to the beginning of the path.

One of the problems in Poncebos in high season is the area where to park . Before reaching Poncebos there are 2 car parks, if there is a gap, do not hesitate and park there. If you can not advance to the village where you can find some place on the sides of the road. or in the funicular car park, although there are few places available.

Once the route has started we are going to face the worst part of the whole route , is the great unevenness that has to be overcome. There are approximately 3 kilometres of ascent with 300 metres of slope of ascent and 160 metres of descent. But when we reach the Collaos, the path improves and from there it is practically flat, where we can fully enjoy the ride without taking our breath away. For this reason if you are going to do the route with children, it is preferable to start from Caín , because the road is much simpler and more entertaining.

After los Collaos , the path will go up little by little and the river Cares will go further and further away. The route will be opening way through the mountains, the view will be wider and once in Leon you can enjoy the most impressive part of the entire journey. We will pass by the bridge of the Rebecos, later by the Bridge of the Bolín. Depending on the time of the year we will be able to see small waterfalls and some nice animals, such as goats.

We have little left to finish and the end of the route is the best, as you have to pass through the mountain through the tunnels excavated . Shortly afterwards we will have to cross the river and on the other side a small dam and another tunnel awaits us, the Pinteros tunnel, which informs us that we are about to finish the Cares path, unless you have to turn around to end up in Poncebos again.

The route ends in Caín, a beautiful village that is surrounded by mountains and at the same time is the lowest village of all Picos de Europa at 460 meters high. If we want we can rest because there are Hostel and camping areas. If we still want we can finish the original route to Posada de Valdeón, which is 9 kilometers from Caín.